1. The principle of suppleness, adaptation, and nonresistance recognized in aikido and judo.
2. The number ten.

Judo was created in Tokyo in the Buddhist temple known as Eiho-ji in 1882. It developed rapidly and the first black belt grade (see Obi, Kyudan) was conferred by Kano Jigoro on Taira Shiro in 1883. When Kano Jigoro came to Europe in 1889 to teach his techniques, his Doio numbered some 600 pupils. After a demonstration which he gave in Marseilles during the same year, the first Doio were established in France, notably in Paris under the direction of Jean-Joseph Renaud and Guy de Montgrillard. Back in Japan, the founder continued his work and in 1922 he established the Kodokan, which was to become the official centre of Judo.

Judo techniques are divided into three categories: tachi-waza (standing techniques), ne-waza (ground techniques), and atemi-waza (vital point techniques).

Tachi-waza, also called nage-waza (throwing techniques), are subdivided into te-waza (hand throwing techniques), koshi-waza (hip techniques), ashi-waza (foot and leg techniques), and sutemi-waza (sacrifice techniques) in which one throws one’s opponent from a supine position.

Ne-waza is a method of fighting an opponent on the ground and is divided into osaekomi-waza (holding techniques), shime-waza (strangling techniques), and kansetsu-waza (locking techniques).

Atemi-waza includes methods of striking the opponent with either hand or foot. It is practiced only for self-defense and is prohibited in competition.

In a judo contest, only one point is needed to defeat an adversary. Points are awarded for a clean throw; for controlling an opponent on the ground for thirty seconds; or for obtaining surrender by applying either a stranglehold or an arm lock. If neither opponent obtains a point in the given time, the referee may award the decision due to the aggressiveness of one fighter over the other.

Grading in judo is based on both proficiency in contest and on one’s knowledge of the art. Designations in rank are shown by the different colors of the belt. Beginners start with a white belt and are gradually promoted to yellow, orange, green, blue, and brown belt. Ultimately, the student advances to black belt. The dan ranks range from first-degree black belt, the lowest, to tenth-degree, the highest level of achievement.

Judo is practiced in a dojo (the place of the way), or training hall, which is covered by mats. The participants wear a gi (uniform) consisting of a loose jacket, pants, and a belt.

Training in judo consists of randori (free exercise), kata (formal exercise), and uchikomi (inner winding), or stationary exercise.

Etiquette plays an important role in judo. It is customary for all jodoka to bow toward kamiza both when entering and leaving the dojo. A bow is also exchanged between judoka at the beginning and end of each practice sessions, and formal classes always begin with teh students bowing to the sensei (teacher).

• Nage-waza
• Katame-waza
• Atemi-waza

Stated simply jujitsu¹ is the gentle art of self-defense. This is a very simple definition for a very complicated art. It does have a more complex definition. If we look at the many characteristics of the art it will be possible to come up with a more complete definition, one that is more suitable for the serious student.

First, jujitsu is what might be called a parent art. A parent art is an art from which other martial arts develop. Since jujitsu has such a broad history it was inevitable that other arts, or more correctly, ways would evolve from it. Judo (gentle way) and aikido (the way of mind and spirit) can trace direct lines to jujitsu. Many styles of karate, especially kenpo, can also trace some of their techniques back to jujitsu. Therefore, in addition to being a parent art, jujitsu is also a combination of many of the more popular martial arts taught today. Upon observing a practitioner of jujitsu one win see flashes of each separate do. One will also see how many separate moves can be combined into an effective self-defense system.

Jujitsu is a series or combination of techniques that have been separated into other arts. Why was jujitsu separated into specific do or ways? Jujitsu may have become too complex as an art or, because there was no single system or systemized way of teaching it, too difficult to learn. Both Kano and Uyeshiba were able to simplify and systemize their ways. There are perhaps 30 to 50 basic moves in jujitsu. However, it is the combinations and variations of the basic moves that make the art so complex and almost infinite in its variety of moves. By dividing the art into three general areas (judo for throws and leverage, karate for strikes and hits, and aikido for nerves and the use of attacker momentum), portions of the art would be easier to teach. They would also be easier to organize and perpetuate as a system.

As they become easier (a relative term) to teach, organize, and perpetuate as a system, the way would also become more attractive to potential students. I am not placing a value judgment on the validity of any martial art, as all arts are effective when placed in their proper context. I am merely presenting one logical possibility in the evolution of the martial arts. Jujitsu was in decline in 19th-century Japan, a time period when other martial arts were on the rise. Jujitsu was a complex art. The other martial arts were also complex, but because they could be organized and limited in their scope they became easier to teach. Their growth was inevitable.

Jujitsu ultimately survived by traveling two parallel pathways. There were those who continued to teach the art as an art, realizing that students would recognize the virtue of studying jujitsu and pass that knowledge on. There were also those who studied one of the do that evolved from jujitsu, became proficient, realized something was missing, and developed proficiency in each of the other do that make up a major portion of jujitsu. In their own way, they put the pieces of the puzzle back together again. It may not have been quite the same puzzle that jujitsu started out as, but all the pieces still fit. They were able to integrate judo, karate, and aikido back into the martial art of jujitsu to provide an effective system.

This theory of two paths can be borne out by observing the variety of styles of jujitsu that exist in the United States and throughout the world today. Despite their differences in terminology (and sequence in which techniques are taught) they are all remarkably similar. Many, in fact, are identical by the time the student gets to the level of shodan. It was my own instructor’s belief that there are no styles of jujitsu — only the art of jujitsu.

Jujitsu is an extremely effective self-defense system. If jujitsu is taught as an art the student will have a vast resource to draw upon to defend himself with. He has learned a series of basic moves that can be combined in an almost unlimited manner. His only limitation is his knowledge and understanding of the moves and how and why they work. A skilled student can create and control the amount of pain his assailant may feel without any injury taking place. He can also create sufficient pain and disabling injuries that will make it impossible for the assailant to continue his attack.

Surprisingly, jujitsu is also a form of relaxation. There is nothing more rejuvenating than letting your developed ki (energy) control your situation on the mat. You don’t know what attacks are coming at you and you don’t have time to think about them anyway. It’s a pleasure to let your ki control your own body, executing techniques smoothly, without your sensing any mental or physical output taking place. This is a skill that is acquired after much practice and patience. This is also what makes jujitsu an art.

¹Jujitsu can also be spelled jiujitsu, jujutsu, and any number of various ways, but they all refer to the same art.

The essential principle of Ju-jutsu is to conquer the enemy with any and all means, minimal force. This demands from its followers a strict conformity to various disciplines. They must:

• be able to judge the force of an opponent’s attack and use it against him before it takes effect;
• in the course of a confrontation, be able to bring an opponent off balance;
• if possible, evade an attack;
• know how to attack without necessarily being able to reach the weak points;
• know how to topple an opponent by making use of leverage;
• know how to immobilize an opponent by holding him down on the ground, twisting his limbs, bending his limbs or strangling him;
• know how to strike the vital points of the body in such a way as to produce loss of consciousness, serious injury and even death.

In actual fact, the older art of Ju-jutsu for warriors, as distinct from its modern descendants, aimed to annihilate the enemy and render him powerless. This principal intention led warriors to use all kinds of dangerous — often fatal — techniques. Ju-jutsu was first practised by the Samurai, then by the Ninja, and finally spread among the rest of the populace, to become an offensive technique mainly used by bandits. From this stems the bad reputation which it has never lost. This is why Kano Jigoro, in adapting the ‘gentle’ techniques of Ju-jutsu to create a new sporting system, called this system Judo, to distinguish it from the deadly art of Ju-jutsu.

Around 1922, the date of the official creation of the Kodokan, only Ju-jutsu was recognized and taught in innumerable Ryu or ‘schools’, in Japan as well as abroad. The armed forces and the police in Western countries were interested in this particular art, to give them some advantage in fighting situations. Even today, the majority of the armed forces of the world teach their recruits some techniques of ‘close combat’ which are inspired by Ju-jutsu, Karate and various types of combat from local sources such as boxing, wrestling, Savate, etc.

To a large extent Ju-jutsu has been de-throned by Judo, Karate and Aikido. This fall from favour has led to its being no longer widely considered as a sport, only as a number of techniques for real fighting. In recent years some variations have appeared, mainly in the West, and followers of such systems have devised sporting contests with rules and methods of scoring. International Ju-jutsu tournaments have been staged in Canada and in Great Britain. This relatively new trend is reversing the first one and demonstrating the prevailing state of flux in martial arts. However, it is from the ancient schools of Ju-jutsu that almost all the current techniques used in martial arts flow. Also referred to erroneously as Ju-jitsu and as Jiu-jitsu.

Jujutsu techniques include methods of striking, kicking, kneeing, throwing, choking, and in particular, joint-locking. Weaponry, as well as holding and tying an adversary, is also part of this popular Japanese system.

According to certain authorities, jujutsu appeared during the 13^th century. Among many others, the following are mentioned prominently in martial chronicles as having been notable jujutsu schools: the Tenjin-Shinyo-ryu, the Takenouchi-ryu, the Sosuishitsu-ryu, the Kito-ryu, and the Sekiguchi-ryu. Together with a number of others, these schools formed a modified synthesis in the school of judo founded by Jigoro Kano in the 19^th century. Almost all of these methods of combat developed through the skilled adaptation of the principle of ju to their techniques.

More than 725 jujutsu systems developed in Japan. Today, the art has spread worldwide, but it is not as popular as karate. It is probably more popularly known as either jujitsu or jiu-jitsu, two variations of the word whose accuracy is questionable.